ARMY CIVILIAN CORPS NEW EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK

ARMY CIVILIAN CORPS NEW EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK

WELCOME to the Army Civilian Corps!

It is an exciting time to be a part of the Army and supporting its worldwide mission. The duties you perform are important and may affect Soldiers in the field, or at home, in one way or another.

This handbook contains important that will help make your transition to the US Army Civilian Corps a success. For your convenience, it is divided into sections by topic. As time permits, you may view the handbook in its entirety, or select topics of interest to you.

The Army exists for one reason, to serve the nation; the Army Civilian Corps exists to support the Constitution of the United States, the nation, the Army and its Soldiers, in war and at peace.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.

History of the Civil Service and its Employees

2.

Oath of Office

3.

Army Civilian Creed

4.

The Army Structure

5.

Army Customs and Traditions

6.

Military Rank and Insignia

7.

Army Knowledge Online

8.

Common Access Card

9.

Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA)

10. Benefits and Entitlements

11. Appropriated Appointment Types

12. Payroll Information

13. Salary Increases

14. NSPS Transformation Information

15. Holidays

16. Work Schedules and Working Conditions

17. Premium Pay

18. Leave Entitlements

19. Performance Management

20. Labor-Management Relations

21. Discrimination

22. Employee Professional and Self Development

23. Internet Resources

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4 6 7 8 9 11 13 14 15 15 24 26 27 28 29 29 32 33 39 40 42 44 45

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SECTION 1

History of the Civil Service and its Employees

Soldiers and civilians have been working alongside each other since the Revolutionary War. In 1775, the first Army civilians were employed as clerks, skilled tradesmen or craftsmen, physicians, teamsters and unskilled laborers. Just as the Armys missions and demands upon it have grown more complex, so too have the positions that civilians occupy. Whether they are human resources specialists, historians, supply clerks, lawyers, physicians, contractors or food service workers, civilians perform vital military support functions. Without them, the ability to accomplish the mission would be seriously impaired, and by extension, national interests would not be served.

During the Civil War, 25,000 civilian trainmen, dispatchers and superintendents ran the military railroads that transported supplies to troops in the field. Union hospitals were staffed by more than 12,000 military and civilian employees, and more than half of the surgeons in the Army were civilians. Military telegraph and several engineer construction corps that was exclusively or predominantly civilians contributed significantly to the war effort.

Prior to 1883, using the patronage system, the Federal bureaucracy was staffed with "cronies" of the incoming administration. The assassination of President James Garfield in 1881 by Charles Guiteau, a disappointed office-seeker, caused such a clamor that the old patronage system had to be reformed. The history of public Civil Service has its origins in the Pendleton Act of 1883, or commonly known as the Civil Service Act of 1883. This act regulated and improved the Civil Service and its civilian employees.

In the late 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelts Administration strengthened the merit principle, giving support to positive personnel programs and enhancing the positive leadership of the Civil Service Commission. Roosevelt signed two Executive orders that marked the beginning of modern personnel administration in the Federal Government. On November 26, 1940, Roosevelt also signed the Ramspeck Act that paved the way for an unprecedented extension of the merit system that included competitive service, to more than 182,000 permanent positions, almost all the non-policy determining positions in the executive civilian service.

Civilians served with distinction in research and development, intelligence, logistics, communication and medicines during World War I and World War II. Harry S. Truman became President after the death of Roosevelt in 1945. That

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same year brought the end of World War II hostilities, and the Civil Service Commission faced the task of drastically reducing the huge wartime civilian workforce. An employment and advisory service was established to assist returning veterans. Applicants for Civil Service positions were accepted only from persons with veteran preference entitled to have examinations reopened and from certain persons separated as a result of a reduction in force.

By 1948, Public Law 617 was enacted and affirmed the Commission's war-developed policy of hiring the physically handicapped. It banned discrimination against physically handicapped persons in filling any positions whose duties they could perform efficiently without endangering themselves or others. The Commission, with its World War II experience still fresh, entered into agreement with the Army and other Federal agencies, giving them authority to make "emergency-indefinite" appointments not leading to permanent status at the start of the Korean War in 1950. The Federal

service experienced urgent recruiting needs due to the war.

The John F. Kennedy administration had the responsibility for ensuring nondiscrimination and equal opportunity in the largest employment system in the nation; policies and practices were reviewed to ensure that they did not place barriers in employing women. The Federal Salary Reform Act of 1962 was passed to address: 1) how much to pay Federal Civil Service employees and 2) on what basis this decision should be made.

President Lyndon B. Johnson, by Executive Order 11246, assigned responsibility for Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) in the Federal service to the Civil Service Commission. He declared that the Federal Government would provide equal opportunity for all qualified persons. Discrimination was prohibited in employment due to race, creed, color, or national origin. EEO would be a positive, continuing program in each executive department and agency (This led the way for the EEO Act of 1972 to take affirmative action to open employment opportunities within the framework of a long-established merit system of employment). Johnson was also credited with creation of the Coordinated Federal Wage System in 1965.

By the 1970s the Army made a positive shift in giving increased attention to Army Civilians. It focused on administrative and personnel management, new policies and programs, and civilianization of military positions. Into the 1980s, the Army maintained that a strong peacetime civilian workforce was necessary not only to fulfill Army mission needs, but also to

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ensure that the Army was prepared for the first stages of war. It identified the need for civilian training and development programs such as the Army Civilian Training, Education and Development System. The Army recognized the need for leadership training and developed many Civilian Leadership courses to develop core leadership skills.

Since the early 1990s, Army civilians have deployed to the Balkans, Bosnia, Hungary, Macedonia, Kosovo, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the nationals defense commitments. Some are required to deploy during times of national emergency with the military units they support during peacetime. They perform equipment maintenance, real estate function, engineering, auditing, morale, welfare and recreation activities, safety, personnel management, and other sustainment-related functions. Just as they always have, they will continue to write a proud and lasting legacy in our nations defense. Theirs is a storied and sterling history of loyal and patriotic support not altogether unlike their military counterparts. In addition, they swear, upon entering office, "... to defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic." They too have their heroes and they too proudly serve.

Some of this information was taken from Office of Personnel Managements Biography of an Ideal webpage. For more information on the history of our Governments workforce, their webpage can be visited at .

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SECTION 2

Oath of Office

Becoming an employee of the Federal Government or nonappropriated fund instrumentality within any of the civilian employment systems brings with it special responsibilities. You now work for the American people and their government ? loyalty to the government is a fundamental requirement of Federal employment. As a Federal employee, you have an obligation to the public because you are entrusted with work that is financed by taxpayers dollars. Confirmation of that loyalty and acceptance of that public trust is demonstrated by swearing or affirming the Oath of Office.

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The oath you are required to take is almost identical to the oath US Army officers and enlisted personnel take. Accepting the oath is a serious matter; it demands that all appointees fully recognize they are undertaking solemn obligations and are pledging utmost loyalty to the United Sates. The oath is legally binding ? violation can serve as a basis for criminal prosecution. As you read the oath you are administered, you become an official of our government. Conduct yourself commensurate with this noble assignment and serve proudly.

"I_ [state your name], will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

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SECTION 3

Army Civilian Creed

A creed by its very definition is a system of belief. From an ideological perspective, a creed helps its members focus on its reason for existing. The Army Civilian Corps Creed formulates your value as a member of the Army team. Practice this creed every day of your working life, for yours is an extremely proud profession and your contributions are inestimable. Practice the Army values of honor, selfless service, loyalty, duty, respect, integrity and personal courage, and you will be admired for your service to a grateful nation.

ARMY CIVILIAN CREED

I am an Army Civilian ? a member of the Army Team.

I am dedicated to our Army, our Soldiers and Civilians.

I will always support the mission.

I provide stability and continuity during war and peace.

I support and defend the Constitution of the United States and consider it an honor to serve our Nation and our Army.

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I live the Army values of Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Personal Courage.

I am an Army Civilian.

Service, Honor, Integrity, and

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SECTION 4

The Army Structure

Now that you are officially an Army employee, it is important to understand how the Army is organized and where you fit into the command structure.

The Department of the Army (DA) is separately organized under the Secretary of the Army. It operates under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense.

"The Secretary of Defense is the principal assistant to the President in all matters relating to the Department of Defense (DOD) and subject to the direction of the President and the provisions of the statute...have direction, authority, and control over the DOD." (Section 113 Title 10 U.S.C.).

The Secretary of the Army (SA) is the head of the DA. The SA represents the Army at the Congressional level and operations under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense; and is responsible for and has the authority to conduct all affairs of DA, including recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training, and mobilizing.

The Chief of Staff of the Army has the authority to: (1) transmit and provide advice on the plans and recommendations of the Army Staff to the Secretary; (2) act as the agent of the Secretary in the execution of approved plans and recommendations; (3) exercise supervision over members and organizations of the Army as directed by the Secretary; and (4) perform the duties prescribed as a member of the Joint Chief of Staff.

The Army is generally organized into combat arms, combat support and combat service support units. In addition to combat, support and service units, there is a supporting structure

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